Nepal

Reverse Innovation Fellowship

Kathmandu, Nepal

May 31 to August 3, 2018

For my Master of Public Health, I spent nine weeks in Kathmandu, Nepal, on a “Reverse Innovation Fellowship.” This internship was a partnership between the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Mich., and the Group for Technical Assistance in Kathmandu.

My goal was to identify solutions for communicating about antibiotics to combat the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. Many people have misconceptions about how to use antibiotics, and irresponsible use can cause antibiotics to become ineffective against bacterial diseases. Over time, resistance threatens our ability to fight those diseases.

The overarching goal of my internship was “reverse innovation,” or transferring health innovations from low- and middle-income countries to high-income countries — that is, from Nepal to the U.S. I wanted to learn how Nepalis communicate about antibiotics so that we can encourage more responsible antibiotic use there and in the U.S.

With the support of G.T.A., we developed a national communications strategy about antibiotic resistance that was presented to the national government. I interviewed public health professionals, physicians, media experts, and more to learn how Nepalis use antibiotics. I also learned about their cultural and political context. Then, we developed an outline for media campaigns and community education.

After returning to the U.S., I worked with Henry Ford to translate the major themes, strategies, and barriers to communicating about antibiotic resistance for application in Detroit.

Through this experience, I gained new insights into how macro-level work, such as communications, can reinforce with the micro-level efforts of patients and physicians. This perspective will inform my future career as a physician-policy maker. I am so grateful to my colleagues for helping me develop this perspective and my professional skills.

On a personal level, I struggled with the cultural differences, but in grappling with them, I believe that I became a better communicator. And I believe that gained a deeper understanding of cultural humility.